


The Art of Finding Gifts

by Ambrose



Category: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 19:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5017879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambrose/pseuds/Ambrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mr Collins tries to get Charlotte a birthday gift that would be better suited for Lady Catherine, Elizabeth has to intervene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Art of Finding Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Old thing I wrote for a tumblr prompt by Janeeyreofmanderley: "Elisabeth volunteering to go shopping with Mr Collins in order to prevent him buying Charlotte the worst birthday present ever (most likely a new bonnet for Lady Catherine)"

“Mr. Collins? Mr. Collins!”

Lizzie all but ran – that wouldn’t be ladylike – after her cousin before he could make the purchase.

“Mr. Collins. You can’t possibly mean to offer this to Charlotte?”

“Why not?”

She sighed. Well, good thing she’d volunteered to go with him, or she’d have had to witness a disaster.

“A birthday gift is meant for the person whose birthday it is, Mr Collins. You can’t give this bonnet to Charlotte and hope she finds her true gift in the honour it would be to offer it to Lady Catherine! Honour is not a gift.”

He stared at the bonnet he was holding. “But this is a perfectly good bonnet.”

“For Charlotte? I doubt she would ever wear that. Besides, it is too fancy, Lady Catherine might be offended.” Lizzie could not resist mocking that woman. And after all, she was right: if Charlotte so much as presumed to wear something a bit fancy, she would be immediately criticized for it.

Not that Mr Collins understood her sarcasm. He gasped. “We can’t disappoint Lady Catherine!”

He carefully put the bonnet back in its place, then pondered for a moment.

“Do you have any idea what I could get for my dear Charlotte?”

I am not her husband, Lizzie couldn’t help but think. Still she would not say it aloud. “What about a novel?” she asked instead.

“A novel? But my dear cousin, have you considered how improper that is? A clergyman’s wife, reading novels? My wife certainly shall not.”

And so Mr Collins convinced himself that a bonnet was in any case better for his dear Charlotte, though at least Lizzie could provide advice as to what her friend would like. And in the end, Lizzie took upon herself to get Charlotte not one, but two (proper enough) novels she knew she’d enjoy, and since it was a gift, neither Mr Collins nor even, god forbid, Lady Catherine, could object to it.


End file.
